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How to Fix Lag and High Ping in Valorant

Author: Marcus Liang  

Valorant’s been out for a while now, and there’re still many gamers reporting a lag spikes issue while refreshing kill records. If you’re also experiencing high ping in Valorant, don’t worry. Here’re some useful tricks that can help you resolve or at least mitigate this problem.

Try these fixes:

Here’re 8 fixes for your high ping issue with Valorant. You might not need to try them all, just work your way down the list until you find the one that works.

  1. Reboot your network
  2. Use an wired connection
  3. Close bandwidth hogging programs
  4. Update your network driver
  5. Change your DNS settings
  6. Install all Windows updates
  7. Use a VPN

Fix 1: Reboot your network

Whether you’re on WiFi or Ethernet, one of the easiest and quickest way to solve the network problem is to restart your network. It’ll free up RAM on your router and renew your IP address, which may also fix your high ping issue. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Unplug both your router and modem.
    modem
    wireless router
  2. Wait 60 seconds and plug them back in. Make sure the indicator lights are back to their normal state.
  3. Launch Valorant and see if your problem goes away.

Rebooting might only be a temporary solution. If you’re using an old router, consider upgrading to a better one such as Asus RT-AC68U or NETGEAR Gaming XR500.

If you’re still having ping spikes after rebooting your network, check if you’re using Wi-Fi on your computer. If yes, take a look at the next fix. Otherwise jump to the third fix.

Fix 2: Use a wire connection

Wi-Fi is convenient, and it’s good enough for regular web browsing. But when it comes to first person shooters, Wi-Fi is currently not an wise choice: poor reception, Wi-Fi channel conflict, there’re so many uncertainties about wireless connection. To avoid possible interference, we always recommend making sure you’re on a wired connection.

However, if you don’t have the option of shifting connection, you can check out the next fix below.

Fix 3: Close bandwidth hogging programs

It’s also important to make sure there aren’t any programs eating your bandwidth, as it could very well ruin your game. If your computer has background tasks like OneDrive, iCloud and Windows Update that require a large bandwidth, be sure to close them before opening Valorant.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Shift and Esc at the same time to open the Task Manager.
  2. Click the Network tab to sort tasks by bandwidth consumption. If you find any bandwidth-hogging tasks, select them and click End Task.

When it’s done, open Valorant and see if this solves your high ping issue. If you continue to experience this problem, move on to the next fix below.

Fix 4: Update your network driver

According to some players, their ping times in Valorant have become stable after updating their network driver. So definitely check if you’re using the latest network driver. If not, you need to update it.

This is particularly essential if you spent top dollar on a gaming motherboard. High-end motherboards usually come with some state-of-the-art features, some of which will improve the stability of your network. But you often need to unlock them with additional drivers.

There’re 2 ways you can update your network driver: manually or automatically.

Option 1: Update your network driver manually

To update your network driver manually, visit your motherboard manufacturer’s official website and search for your model. Make sure you choose the latest driver that’s compatible with your version of Windows.

If you don’t know what your model is or just want to fix the issue quickly, you can try to update your network driver automatically.

If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your network driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact network adapter, and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Driver Easy, then click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
  3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
    (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to pay for the Pro version, you can still download and install all the drivers you need with the free version; you just have to download them one at a time, and manually install them, the normal Windows way.)

The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support. If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Once you’ve updated your network driver, restart your computer and launch Valorant. If the issue still remains, try the next fix below.

Fix 5: Change your DNS settings

There’s an IP address behind every domain, and DNS is basically a tool that translates the domain you’re visiting to its IP address. Changing your DNS server to a popular one reduces the resolve time and might as well improve your ping.

Here’s how to change your DNS settings:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog. Type control and click OK to open Control Panel.
  2. View the Control Panel by Category. Under Network and Internet section, click View network status and tasks.
  3. Click Change adapter settings.
  4. Right-click your current network and select Properties.
  5. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) to view its properties.
  6. Select Use the following DNS server addresses:. For Preferred DNS server, type 8.8.8.8; and for Alternate DNS server, type 8.8.4.4. Click OK to save the changes.

    8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 are the most popular DNS servers by Google.
  7. For the changes to take effect, you need to flush the DNS cache. On your taskbar, type cmd in the search box. Select Run as administrator.
  8. In the pop-up window, type in ipconfig /flushdns. Press Enter.

After changing your DNS server, open Valorant and check if the ping is stable. If this method doesn’t work for you, check out the next trick.

Fix 6: Install all Windows updates

There’re basically 2 types of update packages for Window 10: quality updates and version upgrades. The former includes bug fixes and the latter offers new features and sometimes a performance boost. Getting system updates could be a possible solution to your high ping issue. Also it’s fairly easy to do.

To check for Windows updates, follow these steps:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to invoke Windows Settings app. Select Update & Security.
  2. Click Check for updates. It’ll try to download and install available updates. It might take a while.
  3. Wait until all the updates are installed. After that, restart your computer.

Once you’ve completed this process, open Valorant and see if the ping spikes reappear. If yes, there’s still one last fix you can try.

Fix 7: Use a VPN

If you’ve tried almost everything and nothing seems to work, consider giving VPN a try.

VPN servers usually deliver a better and more stable performance during peak hours. Note that this does not apply to free VPNs, as they are usually crowded during busy times. A paid and well-regarded VPN guarantees your smooth gaming experience.

Here’re some VPN providers we recommend:

  • NordVPN
  • ExpressVPN
  • SurfShark
  • CyberGhost
  • Ivacy VPN

Hopefully this post helped you fix your high ping issue with Valorant. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

Source: drivereasy.com

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